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Our take on the Sony Alpha SLT-A55V (Body only)
by Crutchfield's Dave Bar

Blazing speed at a down-to-earth priceLots of cameras give you rapid-fire continuous shooting, but you'll be hard pressed to find one that's as fast, versatile, and affordable as Sony's 'A55. It shoots up to 10 frames per second at full 16-megapixel resolution. Unlike most SLRs, this camera is always in "live view mode," which means you can see the effects of any changes you make to exposure settings before you take the shot. Its newly designed electronic viewfinder displays comprehensive shooting information, and a flexible tilt-and-swivel LCD screen make it easier than ever to get fantastic looking shots of a fast-moving world.

Blazing speed at a down-to-earth price
Lots of cameras give you rapid-fire continuous shooting, but you'll be hard pressed to find one that's as fast, versatile, and affordable as Sony's 'A55. It shoots up to 10 frames per second at full 16-megapixel resolution. Unlike most SLRs, this camera is always in "live view mode," which means you can see the effects of any changes you make to exposure settings before you take the shot. Its newly designed electronic viewfinder displays comprehensive shooting information, and a flexible tilt-and-swivel LCD screen make it easier than ever to get fantastic looking shots of a fast-moving world.

How does it work?
Traditional DSLRs rely on a moving mirror that flips out of the way when you press the shutter button. When that happens, the camera momentarily loses its ability to autofocus, and your viewfinder or live view LCD screen go black at the same time  a less than desirable situation. Sony's fixed-position translucent mirror works around the problem by splitting the light coming from the lens, sending it to the camera's imaging sensor and autofocus sensor simultaneously. That means the 'A55 can continue focusing and shooting at the same time. Fast-moving subjects will always stay sharp, whether you're snapping still shots or recording full HD video.

A camera that remembers where you've been (even if you don't)
Snap a photo or shoot a video, and the 'A55 saves location and elevation info for you. When you upload your photos to the web, you can take advantage of the geo-tagging feature of many photo-mapping sites, like Flickr® or Google's Panoramio. That lets you easily distinguish between images you recorded in the Shenandoah mountains from those you captured in the Adirondacks.

Get everyone in the picture, even in 3D
The SLT-A55 also has other cool tricks up its sleeve. The next time you find yourself admiring a stunning mountain vista or beautiful cityscape, you can put Sony's ingenious Sweep Panorama mode to good use. It lets you capture the scene around you by sweeping the camera across your field of view  the camera automatically stitches multiple shots together to form one seamless photo. The 'A55 even lets you record your multi-shot panoramas in stunning 3D for playback on a compatible 3D television. You can connect the camera directly to your compatible HDTV with an optional mini HDMI cable.

This camera doesn't include any memory. Add a Memory Stick PRO Duo, SD or SDHC memory card for storing your photos and video.

From the review The Sony Alpha SLT-A55VL: simple operation, great pictures"If you're photographing sports, or need a great all-around camera at the ready, the Sony A55 would be a great choice... The ten frames per second feature could help you capture those elusive and fleeting moments. It's not as light as a point-and-shoot, but it also didn't make me tired carrying it in my shoulder bag. And carrying that extra bit of weight was well worth it for a camera with so many extra features.

Sony SLT-A55V Body Only

I was looking for a camera body that would accept my Minolta lenses. I had
purchased a 7xi in the late 90's and I needed a body that would be compatible
with them. I had a 28-80, a 28-105 and a 100-300. They were all auto focus and
auto zooms. Minolta had been sold to Konica and then the whole line had been
sold to Sony. I called Sony and they explained to me that the Alpha series was
completely compatible, I was skeptical to say the least. When I received the
body I was surprised that everything was as they said and to my surprise not
only were the lenses compatible the flash and the remote cables were also. I
am completely satisfied with the camera. It takes great pictures and movies. It
not only for the amateur photographer it will also serve the semi-pro. Thank you
Sony!

Translucent Mirror Technology: The A55V is the first DSLR
with Translucent Mirror Technology, which directs light to both the image sensor
and the Phase Detection AF sensor simultaneously. This allows the camera to
focus and capture the image at the same time. Since the mirror never moves, the
time needed to raise and lower the mirror is eliminated.

3" Tiltable LCD Screen: The A55V uses a 3" TFT TruBlack LCD screen
with 921,600 dots. The LCD can be tilted and swiveled so you can
frame your shots from difficult angles overhead or down low.

Electronic Viewfinder: The 0.46" electronic color viewfinder
has 1,440,000 dots (0.43"/1,152,000 dots displayed), and provides approximately
100% field of view. The built-in diopter lets you adjust the viewfinder image to
your individual eyesight. The adjustment is -4.0 to +4.0 m-1. If
you're using the electronic viewfinder to frame your shots, the LCD turns off
automatically when you bring the camera up to your eyes.

Live View: The A55's Live View lets you use the LCD
screen and Electronic Viewfinder to frame your photos as you shoot. The Live
View image will provide an accurate preview of your photo, including the white
balance, focus, depth of field, exposure, and framing. In addition, the
on-screen displays will keep you informed on all your settings and recording
information.

Built-in GPS: The camera has a built-in GPS system which
allows it to acquire location information, and record it onto the images or
movies you shoot at that location. Using the supplied Picture Motion Browser (PMB)
software, you can import images recorded with location information to a
computer, and enjoy them with a map that shows their shooting location. You may
also use the GPS to automatically set and maintain the correct time.

Note: The GPS will not operate indoors or near tall buildings.

Still Image Recording Formats: Still images are recorded in
JPEG file format in Standard and Fine compression rates. You can also record
still images using the RAW format, which is uncompressed with no processing
performed in the camera. RAW images must be transferred to a computer for
processing, editing, and printing using the supplied Image Data Converter SR
software.

Panorama Photos: The 3D Sweep Panorama mode lets you record
panoramic images by holding down the shutter button as you pan across the scene.
Panoramic photos can be taken in 3D or Standard in several different resolution
settings:

Panorama:

Standard:

Vertical: 3872 x 2160

Horizontal: 8192 x 1856

Wide:

Vertical: 5536 x 2160

Horizontal: 12416 x 1856

3D Panorama (Horizontal):

16:9: 1920 x 1080

Standard: 4912 x 1080

Wide: 7152 x 1080

Dual Media Options: The A55V camera accepts two types
of media for capturing still images: Memory Stick PRO Duo (including Memory Stick PRO-HG Duo), and SD,
SDHC, and SDXC Memory Cards. The maximum number of images that can be recorded on a memory card formatted
with this camera varies slightly between the two types of media. The number of
images that can be stored on a Memory Stick PRO Duo:

Capacity based on images taken at L 16M/Aspect Ratio:
3:2 (4912 x 3264):

Size \ Capacity

2 GB

4 GB

8 GB

16 GB

32 GB

Standard

386

781

1587

3239

6406

Fine

270

548

1116

2279

4510

RAW & JPEG

74

154

319

657

1304

RAW

106

220

452

928

1840

Image Sensor: The SLT-A55V features
an APS-C-sized Exmor CMOS image sensor (23.6 x 15.8mm). It has approximately
16.7-million total pixels and 16.2-million effective pixels.

Image Sizes: You can record
still images in a 3:2 or 16:9 aspect ratio. The image sizes include:

Aspect Ratio

Image Size

Resolution

3:2

L: 16M

4912 x 3264

M: 8.4M

3568 x 2368

S: 4.0M

2448 x 1624

16:9

L: 14M

4912 x 2760

M: 7.1M

3568 x 2000

S: 3.4M

2448 x 1376

SteadyShot INSIDE In-Camera Image Stabilization: The SteadyShot
INSIDE in-camera image stabilizer shifts the image sensor to compensate for
camera shake without sacrificing image quality. The compensation effect is equal
to 2.5 to 3.5 shutter speed
steps, giving you more creative freedom when shooting in low light. And, because
it is integrated into the camera body, SteadyShot INSIDE technology works with
all compatible α (alpha) system lenses.

Eye-Start Auto Focus: The camera features the Eye-Start Auto
Focus system, which begins precision auto focus adjustments the moment you raise
the camera to your eye. This feature can be turned off in the menu, if desired.

15-Point AF System: The A55V's high-performance auto focus
system uses 15 focus points to deliver fast and precise focusing. It has a
predictive focus control to automatically calculate the position of fast-moving
subjects. You can choose from the following
Auto/Manual Focus Modes:

AF (Auto focus) Mode: You can select between 3 modes:

Single-Shot AF:
The camera focuses and the focus is locked when you press the
shutter button halfway down.

Continuous AF:
The camera continues to focus while the shutter button is pressed
and held halfway down.

Automatic AF:This mode automatically switches between single-shot AF and
continuous AF depending on the movement of the subject.

AF (Auto focus) Area: You can select between 3 settings:

Wide:
The camera determines which of the nine local focus frames is used
in focusing with the wide focus frame.

Spot: The camera uses the AF area located in the
center area exclusively.

Local: You can choose a local focus
area from the 15 areas using the controller.

Manual Focus: When it is difficult to get the proper focus in auto focus mode, you can adjust
the focus manually. This mode allows you to set the distance of a subject by
switching to MF on the lens and
rotating the focusing ring to achieve a sharp focus.

Focus Lock: If a subject is
off-center and outside of the AF area, you can lock the focus of the camera.

AF Illuminator: When you press the shutter button halfway
down a red illuminator is emitted until the focus is locked. Under dark lighting
conditions or when you shoot a low contrast subject, the AF illuminator allows
the camera to focus more easily on the subject. The AF illuminator has a range of
approximately 3.3 to 16.4 feet.

Drive Modes:
The camera offers the
following shooting modes:

Single Shot Advance: Default setting for standard picture taking.

Shooting Continuously: When you press and hold the
shutter button, the camera records the images continuously at a maximum 6
images per second at high speed or 3 images per second at low speed. The
maximum number of continuous shots varies with the recording format:

RAW: 19 images

RAW & JPEG: 19 images

Fine: 28 images

Standard: 28 images

Self-Timer:You can set the camera to two different self-timers:

10 Second: After you press the shutter button, the shutter will be
released about 10 seconds later. This is convenient when the
photographer wants to appear in a photo.

2 Second:
After you press the shutter button, the shutter will be released about 2
seconds later. This is convenient to reduce camera-shake.

Exposure Bracket:
The camera can shoot three continuous images with the exposures shifted
automatically. It uses two settings:

White Balance Bracket: Based on the selected white
balance and the color temperature/color filter, three images are recorded
with the white balance shifted by 10 mired* (low) or 20 mired (high). (*
mired=a unit to indicate color conversion quality)

Wireless Remote Commander: You can shoot using the "SHUTTER" or
"2SEC" buttons on the optional RMT-DSLR1 Wireless Remote Commander. Using
the Remote Commander reduces camera shake and continues the exposure without
pressing and holding the shutter button.

Exposure Modes: The camera offers the following exposure
recording modes:

Auto+ (Advanced Auto): The camera recognizes and
evaluates the shooting condition and sets the appropriate settings
automatically. The camera saves one appropriate image by combining or
separating images as necessary.

Scene Selection: You can select an appropriate mode for the
subject or the shooting conditions to allow you to shoot the image with a
suitable setting for the subject:

Program Auto: This mode allows you to shoot with the
exposure adjusted automatically (both the shutter speed and the aperture
value), while keeping the custom settings for ISO sensitivity, Creative
Style, D-Range optimizer, etc.

Aperture Priority: This mode allows you to shoot after adjusting the aperture
value manually, letting the camera set the appropriate shutter speed. This
mode gives you greater control over the depth of field.

Shutter Speed Priority: This mode allows you to shoot
after adjusting the shutter speed manually, letting the camera set the
appropriate aperture. With a high shutter speed, the moving subject appears as if
it is frozen on the image. With a slow shutter speed, the moving subject appears as if it were flowing.

Manual Exposure:
This mode allows you to shoot after adjusting the exposure (shutter speed
and aperture) manually.

Manual Shift:
You can change the shutter speed and aperture value combination without
changing the exposure in manual mode.

Bulb (Long Exposure) Shooting:
In this setting as long as the shutter button is pressed, the shutter
remains open. You can shoot trails of light, such as fireworks.

Movies: Recording movies in Full HD or standard definition in
16:9 or 4:3 aspect ratio.

Exposure Compensation: Exposure compensation is used to
alter the camera's standard exposure setting. You can make the image look
lighter (increased exposure) or darker (decreased exposure). The exposure
compensation amount can be set up to +/-2 EV in 1/3-step increments.

AE Lock: You
can fix the exposure before deciding on the composition when taking a picture.
This is effective when the metering object and focusing object are different or
when you want to shoot continuously while keep the same exposure value.

Metering Mode:
A 1200-zone evaluative sensing system provides multi-pattern measuring for
superior exposure control accuracy in a wide range of lighting conditions. You
can select the method for measuring the brightness of a subject from the
following three methods:

Center Weighted:
While emphasizing the central area of the screen, this method measure
the average brightness of the entire screen.

Spot: This method measure light only in the spot metering
circle in the center of the frame.

White Balance: You can adjust the color tones according to the
lighting conditions. You can choose from the following WB options, and adjust
the +/- 3 to fine tune the colors:

Auto WB: This mode adjusts the white balance automatically.

Daylight: This mode adjusts for outdoors and sunlit subjects.

Shade: This mode adjust for shady conditions on a clear day.

Cloudy: This mode adjust for a cloudy sky.

Incandescent: This mode adjusts for incandescent
lighting.

Fluorescent: This mode adjusts for florescent lighting.

Flash: This mode adjusts for flash conditions.

Custom: In a scene where the ambient light consists of
multiple types of light sources, use of the custom white balance is
recommended in order to accurately reproduce the whiteness.

Color Temperature/Color Filter: You can adjust the white
balance further by selecting Color Temperature or Color Filter in the Custom
White Balance option. With Color Temperature, the higher the number, the more
reddish the image, and the lower the number, the more bluish the image. Color
Filter achieves the effect of Color Compensation filters for photography. Based
on the set color temperature as the standard, the color can be compensated to
Green (G) or Magenta (M).

Image Processing (Creative Style): This camera is pre-programmed with image styles
optimal for various scenes and purposes. For each setting, you can adjust the
contrast, saturation, and sharpness. You can choose from the following settings:

Standard: This setting reproduces various scenes with rich
gradation and beautiful color.

Landscape:This setting reproduces the scenery with vivid and sharp colors.

Sunset:This setting beautifully reproduces the red of the sunset.

B & W: This setting is for monochrome images.

ISO Settings: ISO is a unit of measurement of sensitivity to
light. The larger the number, the higher the sensitivity. The camera's ISO can
be set manually or automatically, depending upon the exposure mode:

Auto or Scene Selection: When the exposure mode is set to Auto,
Auto+, Sweep Panorama, or
Scene Selection, the ISO is fixed to Auto.

P/A/S: When the exposure mode is set to Program, Aperture
Priority, or Shutter Priority, and ISO is set to Auto, the ISO speed is
automatically set between 100 and 1600.

Manual: When the exposure mode is changed to Manual, the ISO is
automatically changed to 100, and you can set it according the shooting
conditions to between 100 and 12800. Auto ISO is not an option in the Manual shooting mode.

Built-in Flash: In a dark location, using the built-in flash,
or optional flash, allows
you to shoot the subject brightly, and it also helps prevent blurred photos due
to camera shake. The SLT-A55V features a pop-up flash, and an accessory shoe
for attaching an optional external flash. The range of the built-in flash
depends on the ISO sensitivity and aperture value. The A55V offers the following flash modes:

Autoflash: In auto mode the flash
automatically fires if it is dark or against light.

Fill-Flash: In this mode the flash fires
every time the shutter is released.

Slow Sync: Slow sync shooting allows you to shoot a clear image
of both the subject and the background by slowing the shutter speed.

Rear Sync: In rear sync mode, the objects illuminated by
other light sources are captured first, then the flash is fired right before
the exposure is completed.

Wireless: The camera can use the flash light to
transmit signal to an external off-camera flash to produce a more
three-dimensional image. (Requires optional wireless flash unit such as HVL-F58AM,
HVL-F42AM, HVL-F56AM, or HVL-F36AM).

Noise Reduction: The camera offers Long Exposure and High ISO Noise
Reduction (NR) to automatically reduce the grainy noise found in photos during
long exposures or high ISO settings.

Anti-Dust Technology:Changing lenses in a DSLR can allow dust to enter the camera. To help
keep the image sensor cleaner for better pictures, the A55V utilizes a
static-free anti-dust coating on the imager's filter. The camera also has a
cleaning function which vibrates the image sensor for a short time to knock off
any dust that may have settled on the imager.

Play And Print Functions

Playback Options: You can view images on
the LCD monitor with 3 options: with recording data
displayed, without recording data, or histogram display. A histogram is the luminance distribution that shows how many pixels of a
particular brightness exists in a picture. The histogram display of this camera
shows the brightness on the horizontal axis (left side is black, right side is
white) and the number of pixels on the vertical axis.

Auto Review: After an image is recorded, you can
have the camera automatically display it on the LCD monitor
for two, five or 10 seconds. You can also turn off auto
review.

Image Rotation: Vertical shots can be
rotated automatically so that they are displayed upright
during playback. This can be done manually or automatically.

Playback Screen: You can view your photos back as
a single image on the LCD monitor, as an Index or as a Slide
Show . During Index View mode, you can view 6 or 12 images at
once. You can adjust the Slide Show mode interval from 1, 3,
5, 10, or 30 seconds.

D-Range Optimizer/Auto HDR: The camera
allows you to correct the brightness and contrast of an
image automatically, using the D-Range Optimizer (DRO) and
Auto High Dynamic Range functions. The DRO optimizes the
gradations of a recorded image in each area of the image;
you select the optimal level from Lv1 (weak) and Lv5
(strong). When Auto HDR is selected, the camera shoots three
images with different exposures, then overlays them to
create one image with the correct exposure and an overlaid
image.

Image Enlargement: During single image playback
you can enlarge an entire image or a select area of an image
from 1.1 to 11.8x depending upon the image size. Small images
can be enlarged up to 6x, Medium images to 8.8x, and
Large images up to 11.8x. Once you have enlarged the image,
you can pan around the image to view the desired portion.

Rotating Images: Images can be rotated
counter-clockwise 360-degrees on the camera's LCD monitor
during single image playback.

Protect Images: You can protect all images on your
memory card or select only certain images to be protected
from accidental erasure.

HDMI Output: The SLT-A55V provides
direct mini-HDMI output to your HDTV screen, so you can view
and share photos in clarity and detail. You can choose
between standard 3:2 or widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. When
connected to a Sony BRAVIA TV, you can control the image
playback using the TV remote. A mini-HDMI-to-HDMI cable is
not supplied.

Printing Options: The camera offers the following
printing options.

DPOF Compatible: Using the camera, you can
specify the images and the number of images to print
before you print images at a photo-shop or with your
printer.

Memory Card: You can print images with a
Memory Stick or SD card compliant printer.

Computer: You can copy images to a computer
using the supplied "Picture Motion Browser" software and
print the images.

Battery Information

InfoLithium Battery:
The SLT-A55V is powered by the NP-FW50 InfoLithium battery
(supplied). The battery communicates data to the camera, so
that the percentage of battery power remaining can be
displayed. The approximate number of images that can be
recorded with the supplied battery is as follows:

With Flash

Without Flash

LCD Monitor

380 images

430 images

Viewfinder

330 images

370 images

Charging: The supplied InfoLithium battery requires
approximately 250 minutes for a full charge.
The battery should be fully charged before initial use.

Power Save: You can set different time intervals for the
camera to switch to Power Save mode. You
can set the interval to 10 seconds, 20 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, or 30 minutes. Once
the camera goes into Power Save mode, you can return to the shooting mode by
pressing the shutter button halfway. When the camera is connected to a TV or the
drive mode is set to Remote Commander, the power save mode defaults to 30
minutes regardless of the setting.

Supplied Software

Application Software CD-ROM: The following software is
included with the SLT-A55V:

Picture Motion Browser Ver.5.3: Windows Only

Import images shot with the
camera and display them on the computer.

Organize images on the computer
on a calendar by shooting date to view them.

Retouch, print, and send images
as e-mail attachments and change the shooting date.

Print or save still images with the date.

You can create a data disc using a CD burner driver or DVD burner drive.

Image Data Lightbox SR Ver.2.2: Windows and Macintosh

Display and compare RAW/JPEG images recorded with this camera

Rate the images on a scale of five

Set the color labels

Display an image in "Image Data Converter SR" and make adjustments to it

Image Data Converter SR Ver.3.2: Windows and Macintosh

You can edit images recorded in
RAW mode with various corrections, such as tone curve, and sharpness.

Adjust images with white balance, exposure, creative style, etc.

Save the images displayed and edited on a computer. You can save the image
as RAW format, or save it in the general file format.

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